Lily named Pink Pixie

ABSTRACT

A new variety of hybrid lily plant of short stature, about eighteen inches, bearing large clusters of flowers particularly characterized by their deep pink, cream-centered coloration borne upright in a compact raceme arrangement and comprising from five to nine buds. The short stature of this plant, its moderately long and full leaves, and its medium sized, upright flowers make it especially suitable as a pot plant variety. The color pattern and silhouette of this new plant are completely new in the upright Asiatic divisions of lilies suited to forcing for mass commercial cultivation. The plant is highly resistant to disease and shows high tolerance of virus, which makes it an excellent garden plant; and the bulbs may be precooled and forced throughout the year for pot plant production.

BACKGROUND OF THE NEW PLANT

This new lily plant variety originated as a seedling selected from agroup of seedlings of a plant resulting from my crossing the clonalcultivar `Peachblush` (unpatented) as the seed parent with a shorterpink seedling selected from the cross of `Prince Charming` and `Harmony`(both unpatented). This crossing was done at Sandy, Oreg., with theobjective of producing lilies in the shades of pink and peach, wellsuited for forcing for pot plant production out of season. The selectedseedling was one of the said group having a very unusual deep pink,cream-throated coloration with copious spotting in the center of theflower and because this color pattern was unique in this type of lily,this particular seedling was chosen for propagation. Asexual propagationof this selected seedling was done by me and under my direction atSandy, Oreg., by bulb scale propagation with such satisfactory resultsthat production was continued through several successive generations bybulb scale propagation and by bulblets and it was thereby demonstratedthat the novel characterists of this seedling would hold true fromgeneration to generation and appeared to be firmly fixed.

Work with this new plant has demonstrated that the variety remains shortand is not overly susceptible to bud abortion when forced into flowerout of season as a pot plant. In addition, the clone possesses to a highdegree the desirable characteristics of hybrid vigor, great hardiness,and disease resistance.

This new plant is well suited to forcing out of season when the bulbsare dug at the appropriate time and properly precooled. For example,October-dug bulbs, properly precooled and potted in January, will flowerunder glass in western Oregon in an average of sixty-five toseventy-five days, with no supplementary lighting and at moderategreenhouse temperatures.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING

My new lily plant variety is illustrated by the accompanyingphotographic drawing which, in full color, shows the open bloom andillustrates the flower form, the tepal arrangement, and the copiousspotting of the cream-colored base portion of the tepals whichcollectively forms a ring encircling the center of the flower.

DESCRIPTION OF THE NEW VARIETY

The following is a detailed description of my new Asiatic hybrid lilyvariety, with nomenclature according to The International Lily Register(The Royal Horticultural Society of London, England, 2nd Edition, 1969)and with color designations according to The R.H.S. Colour Chart of TheRoyal Horticultural Society published by that society in 1966.

THE PLANT

Origin: Seedling.

Parentage:

Seed parent.--Lilium `Peachblush` (unpatented).

Pollen parent.--A short, pink-flowered hybrid Lilium seedling selectedfrom the cross of `Prince Charming` and `Harmony` (both unpatented).

Classification:

Horticultural.--Division I-A, upright Asiatic hybrid lily according tothe Horticultural Classification of Lilies (The Royal HorticulturalSociety of London).

Form: A single stem, erect and stately.

Height: About 45 to 50 cm. as produced by glasshouse forcing of bulbs ofabout 12 to 18 cm. in circumference, provided that their light levelsare adequate; low light levels may cause "stretching".

Growth: Vigorous and upright.

Foliage:

Quantity.--Abundant

Size of leaf.--About 12 to 16 cm. long and about 0.5 to 1 cm. wide.

Shape of leaf.--Lanceolate and acuminate.

Texture.--Leathery

Aspect.--Glossy and lightly pubescent.

Color.--Dark green, lighter on the lower side.

The Bulb:

Size.--Varying, ranging to about 25 cm. in circumference in commercialuse.

Color.--White

THE BUD

Form: Long ovoid with obtuse tip and rounded base.

Size: About 8 to 9 cm. long and about 5 cm. in circumference just priorto opening.

Opening rate: The bud opens slowly taking about one hour in response tomorning light.

Color: Soft pink with a flush of green along the midribs and at the tip,prior to opening and as the tepals unfurl. Lightly pubescent.

Peduncle:

Length.--About 4 to 6 cm., in average. The peduncle may elongate iflight levels are too low or if the bulbs have been improperly storedprior to forcing.

Color.--Dark green.

THE FLOWER

Blooming habit: Once annually and profusely in midseason.

Size: About 13 to 15 cm. in diameter.

Borne: In a single compact raceme producing 5 to 9 buds from a bulb ofabout 12 to 16 cm. in circumference.

Shape: Cup-shaped when first opened and flattening as the tepals recurveby the second day.

Tepalage: Typical of genus Lilium with six imbricated and hexagonallyarranged tepals.

Size.--The outer tepals averaged about 2.5 cm. in width and the innertepals average about 3 cm. in width.

Color.--Mainly a deep pink, 58B, overlaying a cream to straw coloredthroat of yellow-orange, 18A/B, which extends about 4 to 4.5 cm. fromthe base of the tepal. There is a softer pink flush about 1 cm. long atthe extreme base of each tepal. The nectaries are cream to pink in colorand pubescent.

Spotting.--The tepals are copiously spotted with small to medium sizedmagenta spots throughout the base third of each tepal, thereby forming aring about 3 cm. wide, above the nectaries and encircling the center ofthe flower.

Aspect.--Shiny

Color changes.--The flowers may lighten slightly to 58D at the tips asthe flowers age. Strong heat and light can reduce the pink pigmentationbut there is little change in flower colors if light and temperaturelevels are suitable for cut flower and pot plant maintenance.

Persistence.--The tepals stay on the stems about three weeks.

Pedicel:

Length.--About 4 to 8 cm., in average.

Color.--Dark green, lightly pubescent.

Character.--Sturdy and ascending up to about 60 degrees from thehorizontal.

Disease resistance: The plant and its flower are resistant to disease.In particular, they are resistant to Fusarium bulb rot and Botrytisblight.

Lasting quality: The flower is long lasting, both on the plant and as acut flower.

REPRODUCTIVE ORGANS

Stamens:

Number.--Six, with arrangement typical of genus Lilium.

Anthers (dehisced) and pollen.--Color: Greyed orange, 171A.

Filaments.--Length: About 5 cm. Color: 18C to 36A.

Pistil:

Number.--One.

Style.--About 5 cm. long.

Stigma.--Size: Medium to large. Color: Deep plum.

Character of ovary: The ovary is characteristic of genus Lilium.

THE FRUIT

Fertility: The fruit is fertile.

Shape: Ovoid

Color at maturity: Soft brown, sometimes overlaid with soft plum.

This new lily plant most closely resembles the variety `Peachblush`(unpatented) but it has a pinker and less peach-toned coloration with alighter-toned cream to straw colored center with much more conspicuousspotting. The new plant also has a more compact inflorescence withshorter pedicels, a somewhat shorter height, and more abundant andnarrower leaves.

I claim:
 1. The new and distinctive variety of Asiatic hybrid lily and parts thereof, substantially as herein shown and described, particularly characterized by the deep pink principal coloration of the tepals with a cream-colored throat portion in the center of the flower, and by its short, abundantly leaved silhouette. 